Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-11
DEEP WATER.
An Important Meeting Held at the
Galveston Gotten Exchange.
Resolutions Adopted.
The Onderdonk scheme of Obtaining Deep
Water in Six Months Finds
Many Supporters.
,pecial to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
GALVESTON, TEX, Feb. 10.-Purs uant
to the call of President w. L. Moody OF
the Cotton Exchange, meeting OF bus
mess men vas held on the exchange floor
at noon to-day for the purpose of dis
cussing deep water, particularly with
view of considering propositions recently
submitted by A. Onderdonk and other
engineers for deepening the channel by
dredging, etc. The meeting was well
attended. Colonel Moody presided.
Brief addresses were made by Mr.. George
Sealy, NJ. Lasker, Colonel Mott and Mr..
Franklin, urging the necessity of some
action on the part of the city toward Sc
curing deep water.
Colonel r. G. Street addressed the
meeting at length and advocated the
amendment of an act passed by the Leg
islature April 7, 1888, authorizing the
cities on the Gulf coast to appropriate
money and issue bonds for the improves
ment of their harbors. This lawEstipa-
Iates that said coast cities may improve,
their harbors by money and credit not to
exceed, however, the tax and debt
limits fixed by their several charters.
Colonel Street urged that this law be
amended by merely removing these limits
and giving the coast cities greater powers
for jIevying taxes for such improvements.
He.demonstrated how this could easily
be done, without in the slightest degree
infringing upon the constitutional limita-
ton touching taxation. His remarks
were favorably received and resulted in
the adoption of the following resolu-
tons:
Resolved, tn at the amendatory act
presented authorizing cities on the gulf
coast to improve their harbors, etc, is
hereby approved, and the City Council is
hereby requested to urge the passage
thereof by the Legislature.
=. That we favor a contract by the
city for given depth of water in q limited
time, the payment contingent upon the
success, with such stipulations and con-
ditions as will protect the interest of the
city, the work to be done in harmony
with the bureau of engineers.
3. That committee of five be appoint
ed by the chair to present the foregoing
resolutions to the City Council and to
take such action as will tend to promote
the purposes sought thereby to be at
tsined.
Chairman Moody will announce the
committee Of five tomorrow. 1t is quite
probable that this action will bring about
the aforementioned amendment to the
present law which will enable Galveston
to issue bonds to the extent OF 100000,
ar more, for the purpose OF deepening
her channel.
The Onderdonk proposition, submitted
by A. Onderdonk of New York, contract
or, stipulates that for the sum Of $500 900
he will undertake TO open q channel
across the entire bar go feet in width and
twenty feet deep at low tide, the work to
be completed within six months, no pay
ment required until the work is completed.
Onderdonk further offers to maintain the
channel at the above width and depth for
an annual payment Of 100000. Should
to-day's action result in the ultimate
acceptance of Onderdonk's proposition, 1T
is not intended that such deepening Of
the channel by dredging will in any way
impede or interfere with the governments
plan of constructing jetties. The city
and the government engineers are in full
harmony IN this new effort to speedily
attain deep water.